Fighting Chapped Lips? We Hear You

I'm sure I don't need to remind you of this, but hot damn it's cold. Really cold. The type of cold that makes me turn on my space heater the minute I get home at night and vow to never go outside again. Call me dramatic…but I'll tell you who doesn't think I'm overreacting: my lips. They're far too busy clinging for dear life to the remnants of my last swipe of Palmer's Cocoa Butter to worry about name-calling.

So while I can't really do anything about the Siberia-worthy temperatures outside, I can give you some tips and tricks from dermatologist Francesca Fusco to help keep chapped lips at bay. Here goes:

"During cold weather and in low-humidity environments, moisture is lost very rapidly from or through the top layer of skin. A good visual I give my patients is how soil cracks in the uppermost layers during cold and freezing weather. And because your lips are always in motion, healing of cracked and fissured lips is extremely slow."

What can we do about it?

"Obviously, keeping lips hydrated and protected at all times is critical. Awareness and avoidance of products that could exacerbate the dryness is important. These include acne medicine like Tretinoin and Accutane and potentially irritating teeth-bleaching systems and toothpastes."

Any at-home remedies? (I told you, I'm afraid to go outside.)

"Helpful at-home remedies include gentle exfoliation with a washcloth or a baby toothbrush mixed with baking soda or sugar. You can also use oils like olive oil, petrolatum, and coconut."